Preview of Melbourne fringe plans

The Victorian government is set to unveil its long-awaited blueprint for the development of Melbourne’s fringes.

The Growth Areas Authority is to brief select property industry groups on its so-called “corridor plans" today ahead of an expected announcement tipped for tomorrow.

The process began under the former Brumby government to guide the development of the 43,600 hectares of land brought inside the Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) under that government.

It is expected that the plans will lay out which parts of the growth areas can be given over to housing or for employment purposes and where crucial infrastructure such as schools and transport will be placed.

A number of major developers including
Lend Lease
,
Stockland
and
Investa
are understood to be sweating on the decision for developments in munici­palities such as Whittlesea in the city’s north, Wyndham in the west and Casey in the south-east.

“There will be a lot of hearts won and broken when this all comes out," one source said.

Planning Minister
Matthew Guy
said the government would release 50,000 lots for development by March of next year. Some in the property industry had been concerned that the delays in the corridor plans could threaten that goal.

Another crucial part of the plans will be their approach to biodiversity issues given the presence of several rare and endangered plants and animals on the edge of Melbourne.

Related Quotes

Company Profile

Urban Development Institute of Australia chief executive Tony De Domenico said he was glad the plans were being released, adding that they were long overdue.

He blamed an overzealous bureaucracy for the hold ups but praised the current government for completing the plans.

He said he was eager to see the detail at this week’s briefing.

The opposition’s planning spokesman, Brian Tee, said the test for the government was whether it was willing to put resources into funding the infrastructure needed in these areas.

“I will be looking to make sure that there is a commitment to deliver public transport and schools or we are just going to get a plan for congestion, pollution, noise and frustration on the roads," he said.

The government has also started a review of the UGB to see if additional land can be made available for development.